Ampule cap crimper



Oct. l, 1957 M. DANN ETAL AMPULE CAP Campsa 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnmll r 4/ -nnu Filed Dec. 21, 1954 j; /Q/Y mms.. LM

ATTORNEY Oct. l, 1957 M. DANN l-rrAL AMPULE CAP CRIMPER United Olice AMPULE CAP cniMPER Morris Dann, Havertown, .lohn J. Peterson, Philadelphia, and Thomas J. Moran, West Chester, Pa.. assignors to American Home Products Corporation, Erw 'rc-rk, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 21, 1954, Serial No. 476,743

Claims. (Cl. 53--352) This invention relates to an ampule cap crimper in the form of a crimping head adapted to crimp the ferrules of injection needle hubs about the necks of ampules containing an injectable material and to the combination of such a crimping head with suitable operating machinery to provide a `crimping machine.

In U. S. Patents 2,671,449 and 2,671,450 M. Dann discloses cartridges comprising ampules containing an injectable drug, closed at one end with a slidable plunger and at the other with a fixed stopper in which is mounted a double-cannula injection needle communicating with the interior of the ampule. The needle has a hub provided with a ferrule which is crimped around the flanged neck of the ampule, forming a cap which securely seals the ampule and holds the needle in place. The ferrule may be a separate piece or may be in the form of a skirt integral with the needle hub. The needle is provided with an elastic sleeve which at one end lits tightly over the needle hub and is closed at the other end. This closure may bc either a solid section pierced partway by the distal end of the needle, or may be a section containing a reduced bore fitting tightly over the distal end of the needle. Either form serves to seal the needle.

ln the manufacture of such cartridges, the ampule with the plunger in place is filled in an upright position with the desired amount of drug, the needle-ferrule-stoppersleeve assembly is mounted loosely on the open end of the ampulc, and the crrule is crimped around the end of the ampule, thus sealing it and securing the needle in place. All this is done under aseptic conditions.

lt is an object of our invention to provide a device for mechanically and automatically performing the crimping operation on a series of such injection cartridges.

Our invention comprises a crimping head in combination with operating mechanism, and the combination of the latter with improved parts of a conventional machine having an intermittently moving conveyor belt.

An embodiment of our invention is described in detail below and illustrated in the drawings, but the description and drawings are intended to be exemplary only and not to limit the scope of our invention which is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of our machine showing the crimping head and operating mechanism therefor in association with an intermittently moving conveyor belt;

Pig. 2 is a vertical section of the crimping head on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 immediately after crimping has taken place;

Fig. 3 is a similar vertical section showing the position of the parts before crimping;

Fig. 4 is `a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Pig. 5 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale of an ampule cap comprising a needle hub and separate but associated uncrimped ferrule;

Fig. 6 is a section on an enlarged scale of one end of an ampule with associated needle hub and stopper ready for crimping, the ferrule in this case being integral with the hub; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the crimping jaws.

In the drawings 1 represents the bed plate, supported `by standard 2, of a machine comprising an intermit* tcntly advanced conveyor belt 3. The conveyor belt is in part supported by :and moves around a wheel rotating an arbor 4 at the end of an oblong path. This wheel and arbor as viewed in Fig. l are at the near end of the oblong path of the belt, the axis of which is perpendicular to the plane of the ligure, and the belt passes from left to right under the crimping head. The shape of the path of travel of the belt and its direction are, however, irrelevant to this invention, so long as the belt cooperates with the crimping head as described below.

Crimping head 5 is mounted above the conveyor belt on mounting plate 6 carried by supports 7.

The crimping head (Figs. 2 and 3) comprises a cylindrical housing 8 adjustably screwed into threaded ange 9 which is secured to mounting plate 6. A lock nut 10 retains housing 8 in the desired position. At its lower end housing 8 is provided with a needle guide 11 having a conical axial opening 12 to guide the cartridge needles into the head for crimping. The needle guide may be of transparent plastic. lt is secured to housing 8 by means of ring 13 to which it is fastened by screws 14; ring 13 engages housing 8 by means of a modilied bayonet joint. The heads of Allen screws 43 project beyond the outer edge of ring 42', engaging undercut rim 13 of ring 13. Vertical grooves in the latter corresponding to the screw heads permit assembly, and a partial turn of ring 13 around its axis secures it in place. A friction spring, not shown, prevents accidental dislodgmcnt.

Located axially in housing 8 is guide bushing 15, secured to mounting plate 6 by cap screws 16. A plunger stem 17 is reciprocably mounted in bushing 15 and projects below the bushing and above the mounting plate 6 through a suitable hole therein. The plunger stem 17 is retained in bushing 15 and prevented from turning by screw 18, the end of which engages longitudinal slot 19 in the stem; this slot is open at the bottom at 20, but terminates at 21 short of thc top of stem 17.

This stern is formed with a central bore 22, extending through its whole length. The lower part of the bore 23 is narrower than the upper part and contains relatively weak ejector spring 24. This spring is provided at its lower end with follower 25 to which it is attached friction-tight, and is retained in the bore by a friction tight tit around the reduced end of retaining screw 26. The latter is threaded into an enlarged portion of the bore and abuts on shoulder 27.

The lower end of stem 17 is provided with three eX- terna] and one internal conical surfaces. In the embodiment illustrated the upper external conical surface 28 makes an angle of 20 with the vertical, and the lower external conical surface 29 makes an angle of 10 with the vertical. These surfaces function to operate the crimping jaws described below. The bottom end of stern 17 is finished at 30 with a 45 chamfer. At the lower end of stem 17 the bore 23 is provided with an internal conical surface 31, making an angle of with the vertical and adapted to seat on the top of a cartridge ferrule during the crimping operation as described below.

At the upper end of stem 17, bore 22. is enlarged to receive stem 32 of cam follower 33, secured to stern 17 by pin 34. Stem 17 is externally threaded at its upper end at 3S to mate with retaining nut 36. The latter serves to receive the pressure of one end of stem return spring 37, the other end of which bears on mounting plate 6.

Cam follower 33 is provided with a clevis 38 having a shoulder 39 which seats on thc top of plunger stem 17. A roller 40 rotating on pin 41 is mounted in the clevis.

The lower end of housing 8 is provided with inturned flange 42, secured to the housing by Allen screws 43. The inner edge of the flange is beveled downwards at 44. The upper edge 45 of the bevel serves as fulcrum for a plurality (in this case four) of crimping jaws 46.

As may be seen in Fig. 7, jaws 46 may be considered as quadrants of a modified hollow cylinder having a square top 47, a conical bottom 48 and a central bore 49. A portion of the vertical plane on each side of each jaw is relieved at 50. An exterior fillet 51 is provided to retain the jaws on llange 42. The interior bore 49 terminates at its lower end in an inwardly directed stepped flange 52. conforming to the exterior of a crimped cattridge ferrule. As mounted in housing 8 (Figs. 2 and 3), the jaws are retained in place by plunger stem 17, llange 42, fillet 51 and a plurality of leaf springs 53, one for each jaw, secured to the inside of housing 8 by nuts and bolts 54. These springs bias the upper ensd of the jaws inwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, when plunger stern 17 is in a raised position. A screw 97, threaded into a tapped hole near the bottom of housing 8, has a smooth reduced tip projecting between the fillets 51 of two adjacent jaws 46; this prevents rotation of the entire jaw assembly in the housing (Fig. 4). Jaws 46 constitute levers of the first class, the fulcrum being between the power and the load.

Cam 55, fixedly carried by rotatable shaft 56, is mounted above mounting plate 6 in a position to bear on roller 40. An indentation 57 in the cam permits plunger stem 17 to rise, forced upwards by spring 37, when the cam is in the position shown in Fig. 3. The increasing radius of the cam, following the periphery in a counterclockwise direction. depresses plunger stem 17 when the cam is rotated clockwise (as shown by arrow a, Figs. 2 and 3) to the maximum depression shown in Fig. 2.

Shaft 56 is rotatably mounted in two bearings 58 supported by pillow blocks 59 on mounting plate 6 (Fig. 1). Shaft 56 is operatively connected to reduction gear box 60 of a continuously running motor through a solenoidactivated one-revolution clutch 61, an overload slipclutch 62 and shaft 63. A knurled hand wheel 64 is provided at the end of shaft 56 for manual operation in making adjustments. Since the clutches and gear box are of conventional construction, detailed description is not deemed necessary.

In support 2 of bed plate l is journaled a continuously rotating shaft 65. conventionally driven by the mechanism operating the conveyor belt. which forms no part of this invention. Fixedly mounted on this shaft is a second cam 66 bearing on roller 67 of lever arm 68 pivoted on support 2 at 69. Tension spring 70 biases this arm upwards. The outer end of lever arm 68 is linked by link 7l to push rod 72 reciprocably mounted in guide 73. Adjacent cam 66, Micro" switch 74 is mounted on support 2; this switch has a tongue 75 which closes the switch circuit when pressed towards support 2. Cam 66 is mounted on shaft 65 a suflicient distance from support 2 so that on rotation it passes over switch 74. A stud 76 is mounted on the cam. projecting towards support 2. at such a radial distance from shaft 65 and of such a length that. on rotation of the cam, it makes sweeping Contact with tongue 75, thus momentarily depressing it and closing the switch circuit.

Conveyor belt 3 is provided around its periphery with a series of brackets 77. each containing loosely a cup shaped socket 78 adapted to receive and hold upright a glass ampule 79. The uper end of push rod 72 is shaped at 80 to enter a short distance into the bottom of a socket 78 and raise it and the contained ampule out of bracket 77, when the rod is raised by the action of cam 66, spring 70, lever 68 and link 71. An arm 81 is attached to the upper end of push rod 72 and carries a second push rod 82 of smaller diameter adapted to pass through a socket 78' and eject an ampule from the socket when push rod 72 is raised. The conveyor belt 3 is moved intermittently under crimping head 5 in the direction shown by arrow b, Fig. 1, stopping as each bracket 77 comes under the crimping head.

A source of electrical energy of suitable voltage is provided to activate one-revolution clutch 61 by means of solenoid 83. When energized, this solenoid pulls down clutch operating lever 84, pivoted at 84', against the tension of spring 85, thus activating clutch 61. Solenoid 83 is connected in series with switch 74 to the source of electric energy through leads 86 and 87.

The operation of the assembly is as follows: With the machine running, shafts 63 and 65 rotate continuously and belt 3 moves under crimping head 5 intermittently in a left to right direction as seen in Fig. 1. To the left of crimping head 5 an operative places ampulses 79 in empty sockets 78 in brackets 77. As placed in the sockets, each ampule contains a conventional plunger (not shown) and a drug 88 and carries a needleferrule-assembly loosely mounted in its neck. The assembly consists of a double-cannula injection needle 89 fixed in a hub 90 having a ferrule-like skirt 91, an elastic sheath 92, and an electric stopper 93, traversed by the needle (Fig. 3 and 6). Stopper 93 is provided with a ange 93' and the neckt of ampule 79 is provided with a flange 96.

Alteratively the hub 94 and ferrule 95 may be separate as shown in Fig. 5.

Cam 66 is so synchronized with the movement of belt 3 that, as the latter brings an ampule to rest under crimping head 5, cam 66 permits lever amr 68 to rise thereby raising a socket 78 containing an ampule with associated needle-ferrule assembly. The lift is sufficient to bring the entire needle-ferrule assembly and the neck of the ampule into the crimping head in the position shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that crimping jaws 46 are held in open position at this point and spring 24 is compressed.

As cam 66 continues to rotate, stud 76 sweeps across switch tongue 75, thus momentarily closing the electric circuit to clutch solenoid 83. This briefly pulls down lever 84, activating one-revolution clutch 6l, with the result that shaft 56 and associated cam 55 make one revolution and then come to rest in the position shown in Fig. 2.

In the course of this rotation, as cam S5 comes to the position shown in Fig. 3, it depresses plunger stem 17 by pressure on cam follower 33 against the resistance of return spring 37. As stem 17 descends, conical surface 28 bearing on the top edges of jaws 47 forces them to pivot around edge of flange 42 and close the lower stepped ilanges 52 on the skirt 91 of needle hub 90, as shown in Fig. 3. This action forces the skirt in towards the neck of the ampule and flange 96. Immediately thereafter the linal downward movement of stem 17 exerts pressure by means of internal conical surface 31 on the top of hub 90 (or ferrule 95, if this form is used), completing the crimping of the hub (or ferrule) on the ampule; in this final stage of the crimping, the cylindrical portion of stem 17 immediately above the conical surface 28 acts to keep jaws 46 closed while the downward pressure is being applied.

As cam continues its rotation to the position shown in Fig. 2, return spring 37 raises stem 17, thus permitting jaws 46 to open under pressure of leaf springs 53.

As jaws 46 release the sealed cartridge (ampule and needle-ferrule assembly), the continued rotation of cam 66 depresses lever 68 and lowers push rod 72, thus rescating socket 78, containing the completed catridge, in bracket 77. Compression spring 24 is a relatively weak spring and, with follower 25, serves to start the completed cartridge on its downward path as the supporting push rod is lowered. Spring 24 also has a steadying effect on the uncrimped cartridge assembly when it is raised to crimping position, preventing the cartridge from overshooting the crimping position on rapid operation of the machine.

As soon as the action of cam 66 has resulted in the seating of socket 78 with its completed cartridge in bracket 77, the synchronized belt drive advances belt 3 one step, bringing a new bracket 77 with ampule and needle-ferrule assembly under crimping head 5, and the cycle is repeated.

With each elevation of push rod 72, arm 81 raises push rod 82, of sufficiently small diameter to pass through the bottom opening in socket 78', and ejects finished cartridge 79 from the machine.

This crimping head is able to operate without breakage on ampules showing a considerable latitude in dimensions. The reasons are believed to be the following:

The lower flanges of jaws 46 are so dimensioned that in the closed position the opening between them is larger than the largest ampule neck diameter encountered, and

their vertical thickness is made small enough so as to M leave a relatively large clearance, above and below, when these anges approach the area between the lip and shoulder of the ampule. The height adjustment of push rod 72 must be properly correlated with the crimping jaw adjustment to accommodate the longest glass size. A maximum dimension is used for this adjustment to avoid breakage rather than an intermediate value because the swing of the closing jaw flanges lifts the cartridge assembly slightly from its socket. As descending push rod 17 finishes the final stages of' crimping, it simultaneously compresses stopper fiange 93', slightly lowering the cartridge. The compressibility of stopper flange 93 thus not only absorbs variations in the vertical dimensions of the ampule, but permits tight crimping and sealing by crimping jaws that accommodate ampules having considerable diametric variation.

From the above disclosure, it will be seen that we have devised a practical and efficient mechanism for automatically crimping ferrules securing injection needles to drug-containing ampules, the needle-stopper-ferrule assemblies described constituting caps that effectively seal the ampule. The term ferrule as used in the specification and claims as intended to include a skirt such as 91 integral with hub 90 (Fig. 6), as well as a separate ferrule such as 95 (Fig. 5). Various modifications of the device disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

l. A crimping head adapted to crimp the ferrule of an injection-needle hub around the flanged neck of the ampule, thereby securing the needle hub to the ampule, which comprises a hollow cylindrical body adjustably mounted in a xed position on a stationary member and having an inturned flange at the crimping end, a plurality of crimping arms constituting levers of the first class lioatingly mounted in a central aperture of the inturned flange and extending on both sides of the iiange, the inner edge of the flange acting as fulcrum of the crimping arms, fillets on the crimping arms adapted to retain them pivotally on the inturned flange, the outer ends of the crimping arms being provided with inwardly directed projections adapted to engage and force the skirt of the ferrule inwards towards the ampule when the outer ends of the arms are forced towards each other, an axial plunger stem reciprocal within a guide tixedly mounted within the body, extending at one end between the crimping jaws and having adjacent that end an exterior conical section bearing on the inner ends of the crimping jaws and adapted, when the plunger stem is advanced between the jaws, to force the inner ends apart whereby the outer ends are brought towards each other in crimping action, an axial bore in the plunger stem opening through the stem end between the crimping arms and adapted to receive an injection needle and sheath attached to the needle hub, a light compression spring and follower within the bore adapted to steady the ampule with loosely mounted needle on introduction into the crimping head and to expel the cartridge on completion of the crimping operation, the end of the plunger stern between the crimping arms being formed to bear on the needle hub during the crimping operation, power means to advance the plunger stem downward through the fixed cylindrical body and biasing means to retract the plunger stem when the power means is inactive.

2. A crimping head as defined in claim 1 in which the hollow cylindrical body is adjustably threaded on a threaded fiange fixedly mounted on the under side of a fixed mounting plate, the plunger stem guide is fixedly mounted on said mounting plate axially within the body, the plunger stem extends through and above the mounting plate and the biasing means is a compression spring surrounding the plunger stern above the mounting plate and retained between the mounting plate and a retaining nut on the plunger stem.

3. In an ampule-ferrule-crimping machine incorporating a crimping head as defined in claim l, having an intermittently moving belt transporting from a loading station to a crimping station ampules with a needle-hub-ferrule unit loosely mounted in the fianged neck of the ampules and having power means including a rotating shaft to advance the belt intermittently so that its advance is arrested while an ampule is at the crimping station, the improvement which comprises in combination: A cam on the rotating shaft, a lever arm bearing on the cam and oscillated thereby, a push rod reciprocated by the lever arm in alinement with the crimping station, holders on the belt each adapted to retain an ampule loosely and permit its removal and return by reciprocation of the push rod, said crimping head as defined in claim 1 fixedly mounted at the crimping station in alinement with the plunger rod and at such a distance from the belt as to receive an ampule with needle-hub-ferrule unit in crimping position when removed from the belt by reciprocation of the push rod, power means adapted to operate the crimping head comprising a rotatable driven shaft connected by a solenoid-activated one-revolution clutch to a constantly rotating power shaft, said clutch being biased in neutral position when not activated by the solenoid, a cam on said driven shaft positioned in operating relation to the axial plunger stem of the crimping head whereby on one rotation of the driven shaft the plunger stem of the crimping head is depressed to crimping position and withdrawn, an electric switch adapted to be closed by r0- tation of the first mentioned cam, a source of electric energy, and an electric circuit connecting said source of electric energy with the solenoid of the one-revolution clutch through said switch, the shape of the first mentioned cam and its angular position on its shaft being so chosen that, on arrest of the belt with an ampule at the crimping station, the push rod moves the ampule with its needle-hub-ferrule unit into the crimping head and then closes said switch, whereby the one-revolution clutch is alctivated and the crimping head crimps the ferrule in p ace.

4. In combination with the improvement defined in claim 3, a second push rod carried by an arm fixedly attached to the first mentioned push rod and alined under the intermittently moving belt at a point where a completed cartridge is arrested when the movement of thc belt is arrested, whereby when said lirst mentioned push rod raises an ampule to crimping position the second push rod ejects the alined finished cartridge from the belt.

5. A container-closure crimping machine comprising a crimping head having circularly positioned crimping jaws constituting levers of the first class, a central vertical plunger stem adapted when depressed to operate the crimping jaws, a cylindrical body with an internal liange on its lower end serving as fulcrum for the crimping jaws, a first cam engaging the upper end of the plunger stem arranged to depress the stem when the cam is rotated, a first rotatable shaft connecting the cam to one element of a solenoid-activated one-revolution clutch, a second shaft continuously rotating and connecting the other element of the one-revolution clutch to a source of power, a solenoid for activating the one-revolution clutch, an intermittently moving conveyor means adapted to aline containers having uncrimped closures on them periodically under the crimping head and momentarily to arrest its movement at that point, a third shaft continuously rotating coupled with drive means for the conveyor means, power means for operating said third shaft, a second cam on said third shaft, a push rod for elevating said containers into operating relation to the crimping head, operating means between said second cam and said push rod for periodically elevating the latter on rotation of the cam, a source of electric energy, a switch adjacent said second cam having a circuit-closing means operable by said second cam, and an electric circuit connecting the source of electric energy, the switch and the one-revolution clutch solenoid in series, the said second cam being so synchronized with the intermittent movement of the conveyor means that, on the momentary arrest of the latter, the said cam raises the push rod, thereby bringing a container and closure into operating relation with the crimping head, and immediately thereafter closes the switch-solenoid circuit, thereby activating the one-revolution clutch, imparting one revolution to said rst cam, depressing the plunger stem, operating the crimping jaws and crimping the closure on said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

